1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to lamp assemblies and, more particularly, to shaded lamp assemblies having a knockdown structure for relative ease of assembly and disassembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of lamp assemblies are commercially available for use in home, office and industrial environments. These assemblies can include shades with various ornamental configurations. For example, one type of well-known shaded lamp assembly is commonly referred to as a "Tiffany" lamp, and comprises a lamp shade of ornamental glass first introduced by L. C. Tiffany in the late nineteenth century.
Shaded lamp assemblies such as Tiffany lamps are typically constructed in a substantially unitized manner, so that they must be stored, transported and commercially sold in a fully assembled configuration. For example, the glass shade of a Tiffany lamp is usually constructed in a unitized manner, such as by welding together adjacent metal frames which hold glass panels of the shade. This unitized construction leads to relatively high transport and storage costs due to the bulky configuration of the lamp assemblies. In addition, the bulkiness of the assemblies makes them relatively more difficult to manually carry and securely carton, thereby increasing the chances of damage due to shattering of delicate parts such as the glass shade.
To avoid problems associated with unitized structures, lamp assemblies can be constructed in a knockdown configuration, whereby various parts remain disassembled until purchased and assembled by the ultimate customer. However, when lamp assembly parts such as glass shades are manufactured and sold in separate sections, junctions of some finite space will exist between adjacent sections when fully assembled. That is, the customer cannot be expected to weld or otherwise permanently interconnect the sections together. Furthermore, such permanent interconnection would negate the intended advantage of relative ease of disassembly. Accordingly, knockdown shaded assemblies can have spaces between shade sections which may allow direct light to pass outwardly from an inner light source.
Knockdown assemblies also typically require additional supporting members relative to those required in unitized structures. In lamp assemblies having partially transparent shades, these additional members may cast unwanted shadows.
One type of knockdown shade assembly for a lighting fixture is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,822 to Weber et al issued July 7, 1981. The Weber et al patent discloses a lighting fixture having a knockdown construction and includes a top hub, a series of flexible plastic ribs fitted into circumferential slots in the hub, an upper horizontal brace made of a single metal wire piece, and a lower brace also formed of a single metal wire piece. Glass or plastic panels fit into openings of the frame formed by the upper and lower braces. The wire pieces are secured to the plastic ribs through hooks on the inside of the ribs. The ribs also form an outwardly extending hook to capture the bottom portion of the glass or plastic panel. Each of the top portions of the panels is captured by a flexible finger on the ribs.